


Syncopate

by Shadowbob



Category: DRAMAtical Murder - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M, Master/Servant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-04-13
Updated: 2015-05-18
Packaged: 2018-03-22 16:28:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,001
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3735751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowbob/pseuds/Shadowbob
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"I was only eight when they brought him to me. A servant boy with pure white hair, pale skin and sparkling pink eyes."</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I have no idea where this story is headed so I will be adding tags as I go.

**Aoba**

There were very few wealthy families in Midorijima. The Seragaki family was one of them. My family. My dearest brother Sei and I had everything we could ever need and want. Our parents were hardly ever present, but we had each other. That is, until Sei became too sick to play with me anymore. I would still spend time with him, sitting in his room with him, laughing and making up stories. While he rested, I would entertain myself by playing with the servants. I guess they told mother and father about my mischievous pranks because one day they came home with a solution to my boredom. I was only eight when they brought him to me. A servant boy with pure white hair, pale skin and sparkling pink eyes. Clear. I think even then I thought he was beautiful.

He was quiet and shy in the beginning, but he eventually started to warm up to Sei and I. His laugh was like music and his smile was always bright and warm. I quickly found myself wanting to know everything about him. I would ask him questions and he would always respond but he would only ever say enough to answer me. One day I asked him how he came to be a servant. I was so young and privileged, it never occurred to me that the story might be painful. But he smiled the entire time he told it. A sad, wistful smile. He told me of his grandfather and of his little brothers. He told me of how his grandfather had fallen ill and was dying and there was no money. Clear and his brothers were too young to work, but as an albino, Clear knew people would pay good money to own him. So he sold himself into servitude and gave the money to his brothers. He tried selling his body on the streets, that way he could stay with his brothers, but he was too young for anyone to take interest. He didn't think he'd have the stomach for it anyways.

It was a terrible story, one that shouldn't belong to someone so young. I later looked into his family and found that his grandfather had passed and his brothers had been placed in an orphanage where they were quickly adopted. The family seemed nice and the two boys were taken care of. When I told Clear, he cried. He was so happy to hear that they had not been separated and that they were well. He said he hated being apart from them but he was grateful to be with my family and I knew he only said that because he could have ended up in a house where he was abused and starved. I wanted to believe it was because he was happy with us. I told him, so long as he remained with me and my family, I would never let anything terrible happen to him. He smiled at that. "Thank you master."

On nights where I would have trouble sleeping, I would slip into Clear's room. He would never complain about me waking him. He would simply pull back the covers so I could join him and he would sing for me. His soothing voice would instantly put me at ease and lull me into sleep. On days where Sei was sicker than usual and I didn't get to see him, Clear would tell me stories of the night time sky. The sky was open where he used to live with his grandfather. I couldn't fathom the amount of stars he spoke of. I had never been out at night and I always had the curtains drawn in my room when I slept. It wasn't like I hadn't seen stars before, but I never saw so many that the sky sparkled with them.

On my thirteenth birthday, Clear told me he had a special surprise for me. He led me out on to my veranda and from there, he helped me climb up on to the roof. It was kind of scary, but he promised he would never let me fall. Not that he had a choice with how tightly I was holding his hand. I realized once we sat down that I was completely safe with him and I loosened my grip, but he never removed his hand from mine. We lay back and looked up at the stars. It was silent for a long while between us as I stared, awestruck. Then Clear began singing and my eyes were only on him. A perfect night, a clear sky, a beautiful lullaby. It was a great birthday surprise. When he finished his song and looked over at me, it made my heart flutter. He was beautiful. What right did I have to own him? I wanted him to belong to me but I didn't want to own him. I loved him.

Star gazing became a routine thing for us. Clear would help me to the roof and sing for me under the stars. Every time it felt special. One night, his song felt just a little different. I couldn't quite tell how it was different, but it made me anxious. Hearing him sing that night compelled me to step out of the shadows. It made me realize that is was driving me mad to love him and keep it to myself. So when I kissed him, my chest felt a little lighter, and when he kissed me back, I thought I'd never breathe again. He told me he had loved me for a while and he too was afraid of saying anything. We shared a laugh at the time we had wasted, and then he asked me if he could call me by my name. When I said yes his smile was so brilliant I couldn't help but smile back. "I love you, Aoba-san."

The next day, I told Sei all about it. He was happy for me, as I knew he would be. He was the only one I told, however. Neither of us were sure how mother and father would take it and I didn't want to risk them finding out. Turns out it didn't matter though. On my sixteenth birthday, mother and father came home to tell me that I had grown too old to play and so they were giving Clear to another family as a gift of continued peace between our houses. My world fell away. I went to Clear's room that night and cried as I told him. He said nothing. He just held me. When I finally ran out of tears, I reminded him of my promise to protect him and I swore I was not going to allow us to be separated. He silenced me with a kiss, said everything was going to be okay, and we spent the rest of the night carving the image of one another into our minds.

The next day, Clear was gone. I crawled into bed with Sei and cried until I was too exhausted to stay awake any more. When I woke up, it was dark. I wanted to go out and look at the stars, hoping he could see them too. If I left the house though, it wouldn't be to go to the roof. I would go to him. Remembering my promise to Clear, I came to the conclusion that that was exactly what I needed to do. I left Sei a note, telling him of my plan and swearing him to secrecy and then I left.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Life happened so this chapter took longer than I had hoped. Next one shouldn't take as long.

**Clear**

I spent so much time playing with Aoba-san and Sei-san that I had forgotten I belonged to them. I was reminded of that ownership when Aoba-san came into my room one night in tears to tell me his parents were giving me away. I knew going into this that I was to become property, but I guess somewhere along the way I fooled myself into believing I was one of them.

The next day, Ren-san, the same man who had brought me to the Seragaki house, came to take me away. It felt like I was afraid of something. The whole car ride to my new home I was haunted by the feeling. When I got there and met my new owners, cold as they were, I realized they were not what I was afraid of. It wasn't until Ren-san drove away that I figured it out. I was afraid of never seeing Aoba-san again.

These people wouldn't talk to me, just about me, to each other. I tried not to listen in to their conversation as I was clearly not invited and grandfather had taught me that was rude. From what I gathered though, this family wasn't thrilled with me as a gift. It seemed bothersome to them. I was successful in tuning them out just as they were trying to figure out what to do with me. It didn't matter if I listened to that. They owned me and so I had to do whatever they asked of me. Without a word, I was led to a room where they kept me for the rest of the day and all night. My only company being the nice lady who brought me dinner and collected the tray once I had eaten. It was a nice room. Much like the one I had at the Seragaki house, but it was lonely. I sang the jellyfish song in an attempt to fill the space but it seemed meaningless without Aoba-san there to listen to it.

I was awoken before the sun came up the next morning by a maid who told me I needed to get ready, that I only had a few minutes. She then placed an outfit on the bed and left without saying anything else. I quickly hopped out of bed and changed into the clothes as I was told. It was a pair of gray pants and a white button-up shirt. The pants were a little too big and the shirt a little too small, but I was grateful to be given anything. Once dressed, I curiously peaked my head out around the bedroom door to find a man standing there waiting for me. He nodded an acknowledgment and walked away. It took me a second to realize he was expecting me to follow him and I scrambled to catch up. He quietly led me outside to a car and held the door open for me. I got in anxiously and he climbed in next to me.

We drove through the streets of Midorijima in silence until we came to the ferry. The man sitting next to me asked if I would like to get out as we crossed over the water. My smile must have said it all because before I could answer, the man got out and walked around to my door, opening it for me. I had never been near the water before. It was quite thrilling, but also a little terrifying. I had never left the island before, though I've always kind of wanted to. I thought maybe someday I could leave with Aoba-san. The thought of him brought a twinge to my chest. I placed a hand over it and looked back at the island I had always called home, wondering if I would ever see it again. Wondering if I would ever see Aoba-san again.

Once we were back in the car, I was overwhelmed with thoughts of Aoba-san, Sei-san too. My mind was so busy, I hardly paid attention to the trip. There was a long train ride before we were getting into another car, but it was all a blur to me. I had no idea how much time had passed before a hand on my shoulder interrupted my pleasant daydreams. The man seated next to me got out and walked around the car as he did before, and held my door open for me. Stepping out, I looked around and noticed we were parked at an airport. A wave of panic washed over me. No one told me why I was here and I wasn't sure I should ask. I hadn't seen the people I thought were my new owners since yesterday and no one I had seen since has really spoken to me. I followed the man inside where he handed a ticket over to a lady behind a counter. I slowly became numb to the situation around me as I was led through the terminal. I was told I was going alone and that somebody would be there to retrieve me once I had landed. Like luggage.

Running away from here crossed my mind. Back to Midorijima. Back to Aoba-san and Sei-san. Back to the very little family I had left. But to abandon this family meant disrespecting the Seragaki name. I couldn't do that. So I swallowed my misery and got on the plane. I was seated next to an older man who seemed grumpy and slept the majority of the trip. I spent my time staring out the window, pretending the sky was an ocean and the clouds were puffy jellyfish floating along with the plane.

A flight attendant gently shook me awake to tell me we were landing. I didn't know how long I had slept for but it was dark out. When I exited the plane there was someone waiting for me just as the man had said. They spoke in Japanese but had a thick foreign accent. I was going onto another flight, this one much shorter, and they were coming with me. I managed to sleep a little on this flight as well, and after we landed, I dozed in the car. When I opened my eyes this time, I was met with the sight of a large, beautiful house. I was brought inside and led upstairs to meet my new owner. A door was opened for me and once I was inside it was shut. I swear I heard a click behind me as I made my way further into the room. It was a little dark but I could make out a figure in the corner. I stood in front of him in silence and watched as he looked me over with a glare. He spoke, but the language was foreign to me. I bowed and apologized as best I could.

He stood and closed the distance between us. After a long moment of silence I was beginning to think he couldn't understand me either, but he spoke again and this time it was in my own language. "I don't know how things were with your previous master, but as long as I am stuck with you, I expect you to address me properly." I was stunned by the hostility in his voice. A moment of fear came and passed as he stared me down. I knew I should be more obedient than this, but sadly my brain turned off as Aoba-san flashed through my mind. "I'm sorry, but I will not call you master." He narrowed his eyes at me and it made my knees tremble. After what felt like forever, he turned and went back to his seat. "Whatever." I stared at him in disbelief while my brain scrambled to process his reaction. He backed down. "I'm sorry, but how would you like me to address you if not master?" He looked off to the side as if he were thinking about it.

It seemed as if he had resolved some kind of inner conflict and emerald eyes trapped my own in an intense gaze.

"Noiz."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so bad at writing Clear. Apologies.


	3. Chapter 3

**Noiz**

I couldn't tell him he would probably never leave this room again. My parents had a nasty habit of locking away everything they couldn't be bothered with. I almost felt sorry for him. No one seemed to tell him about me. Maybe they were waiting to see if I hurt him like all the other kids, but I doubt it. They just didn't want to deal with him. Like they didn't want to deal with me.

This boy tried really hard to get close to me. I don't think he knew how to be alone. He was going to learn. Just like I was learning. He would talk to me and I would act disinterested or ignore him. He would sit next to me and I'd glare at him until he moved away. He'd touch me and I'd slap his hand away as hard as I could and ban him from my room for the rest of the day. I was doing him a favor. Being so needy would end up screwing him over one day.

Pushing him away didn't always feel like a good thing. Once he was gone, I would feel terrible and want him to come back. I would never ask him to of course and he would always give me the same disappointed smile. The one that felt like daggers. Not that I would know what daggers felt like. He never stopped trying, though his patience wasn't endless. I know the constant rejection started getting to him. I don't know why. The maid that brought us our meals would always smile at him and ask him how he was doing. I could only assume that would be more than enough. But no, he wanted my attention. I don't know what he stood to gain from that.

One day, he pushed a little too hard and got a little too close and I couldn't hack it. I yelled at him, in German I later realized, but I can only assume he put the pieces together because he retreated into his room for a while. The maid would walk out of his room and give me such a look. Whatever. He wasn't my problem. He was quiet for the longest time after that. Not that I cared. It didn't matter to me if he was quiet, more convenient that way. He offered me a big smile every time I looked at him. It appeared genuine, but we had spent enough time around each other by now for me to know better. I would catch it occasionally out of the corner of my eye. He would drift off into thought with the saddest look on his face. Only when he thought I couldn't see.

Curious by nature, I decided to call him on it one day. He reacted exactly like I thought he would. Blushing, stuttering, denial. But he was a terrible liar and he knew it. "I'm sorry Noiz-san." His way of saying he felt bad, but he still wasn't going to give me an answer. "Whatever." I brought it up a second time later on and again he refused to say anything about it. "I'm sorry Noiz-san." I deemed the knowledge unnecessary and decided it was best to let it go. "Whatever." But I hated dropping something I put energy into learning about.

It went on like this for a while. I couldn't say how long exactly. When you live in basically one room, it messes with your concept of time. One day, Clear seemed unusually distracted and that night he came in and sat on my bed. He said if I really wanted to know about him, he would tell me. I didn't respond. I suppose it didn't matter if he told me or not, but he did. He was lonely as I expected. His previous master was a boy the same age as him. I made note that he had no troubles calling this boy master. They were great friends and he missed him terribly. He was quiet for a second before getting up and returning to his own bed.

The next day, I asked him to tell me about this boy. Aoba. In the light I could see how his face lit up when he talked about him. I enjoyed hearing his stories more than I thought I would and more than I would ever admit. He told me about Aoba's brother Sei. He reminded me of my brother, what little I knew of him. About how he and Aoba would sit on the roof to stare at the stars. I don't ever remember looking at the stars. About how Aoba would come into his room at night when he couldn't sleep and Clear would sing to him. That sounded nice. Very quickly I began to realize I envied Clear's interactions with Aoba. For a while it was everything I wanted and couldn't have.

I lay awake that night thinking about everything Clear had told me. He was happy before he had come here. I wondered what it was like to be happy. He had found it in Aoba and Aoba had found it in him. Maybe I could find it in him too. I got out of bed and went to his room. I heard him move when I approached his bed, but I could only see his outline in the dark. I knew he was awake and looking at me though. I felt ridiculous as I stood there next to his bed. I think he could sense my embarrassment because he didn't make me say anything and he didn't say anything himself. He simply pulled back the covers so I could join him. He let me lay as close to him as I wanted and he sang for me.

After that, Clear seemed happier. I hoped it was because we had bonded or something stupid like that. Judging from how often he talked about Aoba though, I could only assume it was because he felt he could reminisce openly now. Whatever. I liked seeing him happy. It was getting irritating watching him mope around all the time anyways. I looked in to his Aoba. Like me, he was from a wealthy family, not something Clear had mentioned. He did mention, however, Aoba's sky-blue hair, golden-brown eyes and "pretty" smile. And because of all of this I knew the person standing outside my house one day was, in fact, Clear's Aoba.

Sure enough, a maid came in and informed me that there was a boy demanding to see me. She also reminded me that visitors were not permitted. I sent Clear to his room and ordered he be brought to me. Aoba came all this way for Clear, I was sure of it. A few minutes later and he was standing in front of me. Interesting. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Aoba**

As I made my way through town, I discovered the streets of Midorijima at night were everything I thought they would be. Which is why I quickly considered holding up in an alleyway until morning came. I wasn't exactly dressed to be roaming the streets and couldn't help but feel as though I was drawing attention. I came across an alleyway that was poorly lit, but lit nonetheless, and slipped into it. Immediately upon doing so my mind started screaming that this was not a good idea. I ignored the feeling and continued on in an attempt to escape the main streets.

Further down, a man stepped out from a building. The sight of him made a chill run down my spine but I didn't slow my step. He looked me up and down as I approached. I thought it was because of my clothes but the grin that spread across his face suggested otherwise. I avoided looking at him as I passed, it didn't seem to work. "Hey there. Are you lost? You can come home with me." He laughed when I didn't acknowledge him and ran to my side, throwing an arm around my shoulder and forcing me to stop walking. "Come on. Don't be that way. I'm just trying to look after you. How about you show some appreciation." There were more footsteps behind me, the sound echoing in the tight space, making it hard to figure out how many there were. The man was running his fingers through my hair when another arm slipped around my waist. "You're really pretty. Almost like a girl." Another man giggled behind me.

I had to get away from them before there were too many hands to fight off. Just as I got the idea though, two guys circled in front of me, blocking my way. Two at my sides, two in front of me, I doubted there were any behind me. I swung one arm down into the crotch of the man on my left and brought my other arm up to elbow the man on my right in the ribs. It didn't have the effect I was hoping for, but I tried to run away regardless. A hand wrapped tightly around my wrist and I swung my free hand blindly in a fist to get him to let go. My punch was weak so instead I aimed a kick at his ribs. Much to my surprise, the man caught my leg and sank a fist into my gut. Before I had time to process the pain, I felt another punch hit the side of my head. "Bitch!" I fell to the ground in a daze, vaguely aware of one of them dragging my arms above my head and holding them there. Soon after, a kick dug into my side. My vision went white as I struggled to cough, the man above me not allowing me to curl up against the pain. Just as my breath started coming back to me, another kick to my side snatched it away again. It felt like a rib cracked that time and the pain was almost enough to make me vomit.

I closed my eyes tightly, trying to slip into my mind and escape this, if only a little bit. I wasn't expecting to feel the hands on me disappear and the brutal beating to stop. I kept my eyes closed, fearing worse things to come, but the sounds of a struggle and a body being laid out next to me piqued my curiosity. When I opened my eyes I saw what appeared to be someone fending off my attackers. I watched him take down two more but figured I should make my get away while he was busy with the last one. I didn't want to seem ungrateful but I also didn't want to be faced with someone who just took down four men by themselves with little effort. The main street wasn't far away, though with my vision blurring it was hard to tell. The lack of air to my sore lungs was making me feel faint and I leaned against the side of a building for support, trying to shake the fuzziness out of my head. When I glanced up to see where the street was, the ground leapt up at me and I knew I wasn't going to make it.

I heard shuffling behind me and I quickly turned around to face the noise. There was a flash of burgundy before the alleyway tilted to the side. Seafoam green eyes widened as their owner ran towards me. "Hey!" Despite my best efforts to remain conscious, he disappeared from my vision. The last thing I saw was a little teardrop.

I awoke with a jolt and sat up quickly, looking over my surroundings. I was in an unfamiliar bed, in an unfamiliar room and sitting next to me was my rescuer from the alleyway. I looked down to find I was naked from the waist up. My fight came back to me suddenly and I scrambled out of the bed and to my feet, my ribs protesting. The man slowly and cautiously rose to his feet, looking at me like I was a cornered animal. "You wouldn't attack someone who saved you?" He chuckled nervously, putting his hands up in a way of showing he meant me no harm. My eyes darted to the door and his eyes followed. I wasn't sure I could make it but I was sure I was going to try. His eyes widened slightly as the realization kicked in and I bolted. My hands never even touched the door when this man had me tackled to the floor. When I struggled against his grip, he pushed his fingers into my ribs. The pain instantly paralyzed me and I gasped for air.

"Look, my name is Mizuki. You are in my home in the Eastern District. All of your belongings are on that table and, as I'm sure you've figured out, that door is the way out. You are free to use it whenever you like. You are also welcomed to rest here for the night." He paused and removed his fingers from my ribs. I sighed in relief and worked on steadying my breathing. "I'm not going to keep you here, but I would like to tend to your wounds before you leave." He loosened his grip on me and when I didn't fight him, he got up and took a step back. I lay there for a second before rolling over on to my back to look up at him. He seemed sincere in his offer to fix me up and I believed him when he said I could leave whenever I wanted, so I supposed there was no harm in hanging around. He held a hand out to me and when I took it, he carefully helped me to my feet and brought me back over to sit on the bed. He was very gentle with me for which I was grateful, having just now realized the pain I was in.

He began running his knuckles lightly over my chest and it took me a minute to realize he was checking my ribs. I winced when he touched one spot in particular and when I looked, I saw that my ribs were turning an interesting purple color and I had several other bruises appearing on my stomach and knuckles as well. Mizuki took good care of me though.

He asked me my name. I didn't want to risk him figuring out who I was and returning me to my home so I gave him Clear's name. "That's a pretty unique name. Never thought I would hear it twice in one lifetime." He had heard the name before? I asked him about it and he told me of how he had found this little albino boy in a dirty alleyway years ago trying to pick up strangers. He bought him a nice meal and made sure he got home. From the description he gave I could only assume it was my Clear he was talking about. It must have been right before the time he came to live in my house. I told Mizuki my story. How I had known Clear and how I had lost him. How I had lied about who I really was and why I was out on the streets. He was very kind and understanding, so naturally it came as quite a shock when he told me he was the leader of the largest gang in Midorijima and he shared the knowledge like it was no big deal. He felt that, being the largest gang in Midorijima, someone had to know something about Clear's whereabouts. Or knew someone who knew something.

He mobilized his group and offered to house me while they hunted for Clear. My Clear. I stayed with him long enough for my ribs to heal and then I ran the streets with his gang members to aid in the search. Not once did I think my search would lead me to some little kid in Germany. Unlike everyone else in his home, he spoke my language with an accent so faint it was almost impossible to catch. "What are you doing here, Seragaki Aoba?" The fact that he knew my name surprised me until I realized it was probably because Clear had told him about me. My heart beat a little faster at the thought. So he _was_ here. And he hadn't forgotten about me.

I told him that I was in love with Clear, that I had tracked him here and my wish was to leave with him. I straightened myself, remembering that I was also from a respected family and I had a few years on this brat. He smirked at me and for the longest time he was silent. "You can have him back on one condition..." He took a few steps towards me and lowered his voice. "You have to take me with you."


	5. Chapter 5

**Clear**

Days came and passed. I counted them for a short while, but Noiz-san said it drove him crazy. After spending some time with him, I understood. It was hard to tell he was so young, but Noiz-san was only twelve when I came to live with him. It must have been difficult for a kid so young to be locked away for so long. When I was twelve, I had Aoba-san and Sei-san and everything was happy and wonderful. I'm happy with Noiz-san too, but he's not happy.

It was difficult in the beginning, Noiz-san was cold and angry, but I thought he just needed a friend. So I tried talking to him, being close to him, hugging him, but I was met with smacks and scary glares. I thought he was just being mean. One day, Noiz-san got really mad at me and yelled at me in German, and though I didn't understand, I went to my room like I knew he wanted and cried. I missed Aoba-san and looking at the stars. I missed Sei-san and my home on Midorijima. I stopped feeling sorry for myself when I realized Noiz-san probably had things he missed too. He was lonely, and he was never going to tell me that unless I told him I was lonely too. So I told him what Aoba-san meant to me and that I missed him and then I left him alone.

The next morning, he asked me to tell him more about Aoba-san and that night he came to my room just like Aoba-san would. I was right, he was lonely, and he came to my room nearly every night after as a way of telling me so. It made me so happy to have someone to sing for again and Noiz-san seemed happier too.

One day, when Noiz-san was teaching me to play a new game, he suddenly asked me to go to my room. I thought I had done something to upset him until the lady who brought our meals came in to tell Noiz-san he had a visitor. He gave me a stern look. "Go on." I nodded and hurried to my room. Soon after, I heard muffled voices coming from the other side of my door. I sat down on my bed and nervously wrung my hands. Noiz-san never had visitors. Actually, I was certain he wasn't allowed to have visitors. I hoped it wasn't something bad. I got up and paced my room, finding it difficult to sit still.

After what felt like an eternity, Noiz-san opened my door and said I could come out. My eyes were immediately drawn to sky-blue hair, golden-brown eyes and a beautiful, familiar smile that I felt I had been missing my whole life. I don't remember crossing the room, or tackling Aoba-san to the floor, all that mattered was that he was here and I was holding him. I was so happy I cried in a way I'm sure Noiz-san rolled his eyes at.

I finally let Aoba-san off the floor but I held onto his hand. We all sat down while he explained his one year trek to find me. My heart sank. Had it really been a year? I sniffled almost the entire time he told his story. I couldn't believe he went through so much just to see me again. And when he told me that his friend was waiting to take us back to Midorijima, I couldn't have been happier. Until I thought about what it meant. "What about Noiz-san?" Noiz-san smirked at Aoba-san who sighed and rolled his eyes. "He will be coming with us." We agreed that it would be best to wait until night time for Noiz-san and I to sneak out. He didn't think anyone would care that he was gone but it was a precaution. Aoba-san swore he would be waiting at the gate for us.

For the remainder of the day, Noiz-san taught himself how to pick a lock, and that night we slipped out almost effortlessly. Navigating the huge house was difficult when neither of us had really seen much of it. We did eventually get outside and Aoba-san was waiting at the gate just like he said he would be. He introduced us to Mizuki-san, the man he said had helped to find me. I recognized him from when I was younger and we talked the whole way to the airport. It was nice catching up with the man who had probably saved my life all those years ago.

I was incredibly excited to be returning home so the trip back dragged on. At least I got to spend it with Aoba-san. During the last leg of our journey curiosity nipped at me. I wanted to know what would happen to Noiz-san. "Maybe Mizuki will take him in. He's always picking up strays." Mizuki-san laughed and nudged Aoba-san in the side with his elbow. "What a rich person thing to say." I frowned when Aoba-san laughed back. It was an inside joke. I couldn't help but feel a little jealous, but then Aoba-san turned to me with a gentle smile and kissed my cheek. "Or he could come home with us." My heart fluttered. He can have all the inside jokes he wants, he's still my Aoba-san.

Noiz-san kept to himself the entire trip. Even when we got to the Seragaki house, he remained silent. Even through the heartwarming reunion with Sei-san. In fact, he seemed more aloof then. Sei-san noticed of course. He was always incredibly perceptive. He hugged Noiz-san and thanked him for taking care of me. I was flattered and embarrassed until I remembered Noiz-san didn't like to be touched. I braced myself for his reaction but he simply huffed and pouted. "Whatever."

Noiz-san refused to stay with us. He agreed to stay with Mizuki-san when he offered though, much to my surprise. Maybe he did feel like a stray. I shared a room with him for a year and I still couldn't tell what he was thinking. We said our goodbyes and just before Noiz-san walked out, he turned to me, gave me a kiss and thanked me for my company. His way of saying I made his last year in that room bearable. I smiled and hugged him, and he let me.

After they left, Aoba-san and I spent some time catching up with Sei-san. I learned that the two of them had found ways to talk to one another over the past year, but they hadn't seen each other since Aoba-san left to find me. That made me feel sad but also kind of happy. Sei-san soon got tired, so we hugged him good night and left for what was my room before I left. We ran into Ren-san on the way. He was very happy to see Aoba-san, but he watched me nervously and I felt a little guilty. He never said anything about my return or Aoba-san's disappearance. He just seemed happy to have everything back to normal. In my room, we climbed into my bed and talked for a little bit. When we ran out of things to say, we just laid there and held each other. I had missed this. I was so grateful to have it back. To have my Aoba-san back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I tried to be more "Clear-like" in this chapter but I'm just not good at writing him.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LAST CHAPTER!! Thank you to everyone who has read and for all the comments and kudos. <3

**Noiz**

This Aoba, that I had heard so much about, was standing in front of me in my room. I had to admit, to myself at least, that I was a little impressed by his persistence. I wasn't going to let it be that easy though. "What are you doing here, Seragaki Aoba?" He did nothing to hide the surprise on his face before he started going on about how he was in love with Clear and he had come all this way to take him back with him. He bent over to my level when talking to me and his voice was gentle. He even placed a hand on my shoulder like he was talking to some little kid. When he stopped talking, I brushed his hand off.

I thought for a second and a smirk crossed my face. Maybe I could use him to get out of here. Maybe I could use him to get far away from here. I took a step closer. "You can have him back on one condition..." I got a little closer while I studied his face. He seemed interested. "You have to take me with you." His mouth fell open. Not exactly the reaction I was looking for, but it worked for me. He was shocked silent for a few minutes. I watched as every thought crossed his face. He was going to protest, but at least he was contemplating it. That meant he could be persuaded.

"I'm sorry, I can't just take you." He looked like he wanted to say more, but he just shook his head. I quickly scanned through everything I knew about Aoba and I remembered one thing of interest. Clear always talked about how nice of a person he was. Clear had the tendency to always see the good in everyone, but if he was right about Aoba, then he was a good person. And good people are suckers for sob stories. And I just so happen to have one.

"Look, I've been locked away and abandoned in this room." I waved a hand at the bars on the windows for emphasis. "My parents could care less what happens to me. They would probably be thrilled to be rid of me." He gave me a skeptical, I-wasn't-born-yesterday look. I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. "Why not ask Clear? He has spent all of his time stuck in here with me." His face lightened at the mention of Clear before going right back to skepticism. "How do I know you weren't put in here with good reason?" Ah, he got me there. Well, Clear always saw the good in everyone, probably even me. That naivete could work in my favor. "Clear knows what kind of person I am. Maybe you would take the word of someone you claim to love?" He nodded. Good.

"Well then, we both know Clear has way too much energy to wait in suspense for long." Again he nodded. When I opened the door and invited Clear out, he looked at me in relief. Then he saw Aoba and became ecstatic. He tackled him to the floor and cried pathetically. I couldn't help but roll my eyes at him. When the two of them were done having their moment, we sat down and discussed leaving. Aoba had a friend waiting to take them back. He didn't think one more person would be a problem. It was up to us to find a way out of the house though. I told him it wouldn't be a problem but just to be safe, we would wait for night time. I really didn't think anyone would care that I was gone, but I wasn't going to risk my chance at freedom.

Aoba left with a promise to be waiting at the gate for us. I spent the rest of my day figuring out how to pick a lock through trial and error and yelling at Clear who was bursting with energy. I get that he was excited to see Aoba again, but after a year apart, he should be able to handle one more day. After the maid took our dinner plates and the house seemed quiet enough, we made our break and managed to make it to the gate with minimal set-backs. We were introduced to Aoba's friend, Mizuki, and from there we started our journey to Midorijima.

I spent my time during the flight, trying to figure out why Mizuki's name sounded familiar. I knew I had heard the name before. When he wasn't looking, I studied him, hoping for clues as to who he was. He mostly just buddied around with Aoba and Clear, though. I guess he and Clear had met before. I listened to the story, but it held no useful information. I went through everything I had heard about this man up to this point and by the time we got to Japan, I figured it out. I wanted to hit myself for not having guessed it sooner. Aoba mentioned Mizuki had a gang. It was the largest one in Midorijima, and he was their leader. The information gathering network in his gang must be quite impressive. It would be easy to establish a foothold with the knowledge this rather large group of people must possess. A lot easier than being stuffed up in another rich house. Running the streets sounded like the perfect kind of freedom, so when Mizuki offered to let me stay with him, I hopped on the offer.

I followed Aoba and Clear to their house for proper goodbyes and thank you's. I wanted Aoba to know that I was aware that I owed him. His twin brother, Sei, came out to greet us. I guess he had been informed by one of Mizuki's men that we were on our way and he had been waiting. He seemed nice enough, but he didn't look enough like Aoba to guess that they were twins. All the stories Clear told of him were true and he really did remind me of my brother. A little bit. He smiled at me and hugged me tightly, thanking me for taking care of Clear. I felt my heart more in that too-short moment than I have my whole life. I acted disinterested, but I made a mental note to never forget his name.

When it was time to leave I suddenly felt a bit sad. I had already started missing Clear. I knew I was going to see him again, but I had shared a room with him for a year, and in that time, he had done everything he could to make it bearable. I was grateful. So as I was following Mizuki out the door, I gave in to whim and kissed Clear. It was the only way I knew how to express everything I was feeling. The look on Aoba's face was priceless. If he had a hard time swallowing that, I would love to see his reaction when I came back in a few years for his brother. "Thank you for your company." Clear just smiled and hugged me.

I followed Mizuki to my new home. In the time I spent living with him, I learned that he was a very talented tattoo artist and he wanted to open his own parlor. When I tried my hand at being an information broker and found I had a knack for it, I helped him to open his own shop, which he soon expanded to satisfy his bartending interest. I quickly started spending all of my free time with Sei. Once I had a place of my own, I confessed my love and asked him to move in with me. He said yes. Aoba and Clear kept going strong and left Midorijima to travel before they settled down. They would send us postcards from all over the world, and whenever they came back to Midorijima, we would all go stargazing.


End file.
